


Carpe Noctem

by MaiKuuro



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe- Vampire Nohrian Royals, Drama & Romance, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-18 10:07:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17578853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaiKuuro/pseuds/MaiKuuro
Summary: “So tell me... the whole lot of you are zombies? Ones that the people have never heard of?” Niles joked.“Vampires actually,” the prince corrected with an exasperated sigh. “I will admit, brains are one of the most fascinating things to study. And that is all I do: study them. Not eat them.”“Is that a sense of humor I detect?”“Preposterous.”----A peculiar man comes across a peculiar family in a castle which is thought to be abandoned.





	1. Chapter One

The daily routine of a man who lived on the run half the time was thrilling. The fact someone like Niles hadn’t dared explore the dark abandoned castle in Nohr was a shock. He considered himself scum of the earth. A talented thief who didn’t have purpose other than surviving day to day. That didn’t mean that he was afraid for it all to end in the snap of fingers. If he was meant to die one day soon, then so be it. Until then he’d live his life the same as always. Stealing, finding somewhere to stay, and sleeping around if it benefited him. Something as fun as looking around a castle with the possibility of disappearing excited him. This was exactly what he needed.

Many thieves had attempted to infiltrate the castle and were never heard from again. There were countless plans to go inside for the rumored gold. That or any other treasures which lied within the walls. If so many people had disappeared it was likely that there were some bones left as presents, too. Niles sure hoped there were. That would make the atmosphere so much more eerie. 

Books were the popular way to learn about the castle and its history, but Niles couldn’t afford the luxury of being able to read. Growing up in the slums indicated you were used to scraps for clothing, anything you could find for food, and no education, really. A sad way of life, but Niles didn’t know any different. And that was thanks to the lack of structure in the town he grew up in. When he finally began to steal and run around from place to place to sleep, life had that thrilling touch to it. The option to explore some spooky castle where many men had disappeared was just what he needed. There was no purpose in his life, so if he died it wouldn’t go noticed by anyone.  
Besides, there had to be answers somewhere in there. Why was this castle untouchable? Monsters? If so, Niles had his trusty bow he’d recently stolen. He took pride in this fancy looking bow. With it he had an easier time with his aim.

The night he decided to explore was a rainy one. The way inside was easy. Just a few walls to climb over then he’d need to find a window to crawl through. On his way through the grass of the castle grounds, Niles peered around with his one eye. The only sounds were those of thunders rumbling in the distance and his feet squishing down into the muddy grass. With each flash of lightning he got a good look at the walls around him. The stone walls were stained with what he thought might be very old blood, or perhaps something else. He still pushed forward towards the front of the castle nonetheless. Much to his surprise, the front door was cracked open. He wouldn’t fall for such a silly thing. So he went around to find one of the many windows with holes in them.

The stone walls were a pain to climb being as slick as they were from rain, but he managed to shove himself up and through a window, landing ungracefully on a carpeted floor. The room was lit by candles on a table. Someone else was in the castle. Quickly, he made it onto his feet. 

His mouth opened, but shut in a heartbeat. There was no guarantee that whoever was around was a safe person to call out for. So Niles slowly made his way through the room. There were rusted pieces of silverware sitting on a tray on a wooden table, a wall full of shelves with various stuffed toys and porcelain dolls, and the rest of the room looked rather adorably decorated. There were boxes filled with more trinkets. This must have been a play room at some point. Niles picked up a doll sitting on the floor. This one wasn’t dusty. It looked as if it had been used recently. He shuddered and returned it to its original spot. There was nothing else which drew in his interest in the room, so he snuck out of the room into the hallway. And Gods was the hallway long and ominous. The man stuck close to the windows as he strolled further down the hall. So far no skeletons or corpses of any sort. What a surprise. And a dissapointment. 

Niles found himself in a large, practically empty bedroom. There was a bed and a small couch near it. The bed looked as fancy as ever with its bed posts. The room had paintings on the walls of royalty. Most of them were paintings of women in dresses with skirts which were so large walking was surely difficult. The majority of them had fair skin and light hair. The Nohrian royal family was almost always a bunch of light haired people from what Niles had heard. Even the end of the line had blonde hair. King Garon. The man whose death left Nohr on its own. King Garon had no children that could wear his crown and continue the reign. Not that anyone knew of. It had been a century since King Garon’s passing and Nohr wasn’t any better or worse than it had been. Towns had their own leaders. Niles still despised the way this country was ran in most parts.

The next room that Niles explored was much smaller. At least half the size of the first room he’d stepped into. It was a study from the looks of it. Books were scattered all over the large desk in the corner. There was an inkwell with a feather sitting beside it. Maps were pinned up on one of the walls. And yet again, no dust. This room was even less dusty than the last. Someone must have visited this room before Niles as well. How peculiar.

This time the walls were lined up with bookshelves. But most of the shelves were filled with loose papers stuck between various books. He plucked one of the papers from the shelf and began to observe it. There were pictures and scribbled words all over it. The picture indicated it was something a mage had jotted down based on the design. He’d seen magic circles a few times in his life. As his eye scanned over the paper it stopped towards the bottom. Dry blood soaked the lower corners of the old paper. The writing looked rushed as well. Niles set it back on the shelf somewhere before going over to the desk. More books and papers. The paper laid out in the middle of the desk was half filled. 

“My, my. Normal men go for the throne room. Are you lost?”

Niles whipped his head around. There was no sign of anyone else in the room. It looked as empty as it had when he stepped inside no matter where he turned his head. However, Niles could have sworn the temperature dropped. He looked back at the paper on the desk, assuming his mind was playing tricks on him. There was no other man in there.

“Excuse me, I do believe I asked you a question,” the voice grumbled. “I’d be careful if I were you.”

“I didn’t know the supposed monster of this castle was an invisible man,” replied Niles cheekily. “I wasn’t looking for the throne room in the first place.”

In a swift motion, Niles was spun around. The grip on his forearms was tight. He almost flinched. In front of him was a young man dressed in ornate clothing. Not cheap whatsoever. This young man was breathtaking. His skin was pale, his dirty blonde hair framed his face nicely, and his eyes were a deep lovely mahogany. This man certainly looked like a human. A very pretty one with such a soft appearance. A chuckle brought Niles back to his senses. A grin suited this man well. 

“I am not invisible. Though… monster isn’t a new one,” he grew quiet for a moment. “It would do you well to try and be more creative.”

“You’re fast. Where’s you come from, hm? The shadows?” Niles teased. “To think someone with such charming features was stalking me.”

The blonde pushed Niles back against edge of the desk. The look on his face was so dark and serious now. One moment an angel, the next a devil. Niles wasn’t afraid of the closeness and scowl he earned. He was smirking and at the ready to say something clever. After all, this man was expressive clearly.

“Why are you here? If you wanted someone to toy with you should have went into Camilla’s room. Such a careless move on your end to wander into my room of any.” The stranger hissed.

Niles' breathing hitched. His hand clutched the edge of the desk roughly. Their foreheads were inches apart. “I wanted to explore. I’ve heard of men disappearing and that made me… curious.”

The grip on his arms loosened just barely. He watched surprise flash across the man’s face. That was a new expression. Not as nice as that confident smile of his, but it was a nice look, too. Now Niles just had to fluster him- if that was possible. This guy had a stick up his butt so it would prove to be a challenge. 

“Well you don’t appear to be lying but...” Their eyes met while he spoke. “You lack the understanding that I can kill you. Nobody walks through this castle carelessly without facing the consequences. Choose your words carefully and I might spare you.”

“Oho, and who’s to say I fear death? If you can and wish to kill me go ahead.” Niles chuckled. “I don’t hear anyone crying.”

“You should be begging for death!” The blonde’s face was scrunched in confusion. “Even the strongest men I’ve caught are reduced to pathetic boys who cry for their mothers. This is more serious than you believe. _Gods_ , what is your problem?”

“Oh trust me, I have plenty of problems. Living in Windmire is one of the big ones honey. Not much scares me anymore.” He flashed a toothy grin. “Being handled by a man is nothing new. Though you are a rather _fine_ one.”

Niles was released. The spots on his arms where he’d been held began to sting. For such a slim young man, this stranger was strong as hell. No wonder Niles had been warned to be careful. He certainly could be killed by his hands alone. The two men separated and Niles watched the other pace around the room. 

“So.. Windmire is still bad? After all these years I thought it may have improved some.”

“Well Windmire is the same shit hole it’s always been,” muttered Niles. “What’s it to you?”

The blonde paused in front of Niles. “Even if I cannot do anything, I still wish the best for my country.”

“Who are you?” Niles asked suspiciously, eyeing him up and down. “The King of this country, or something?”

“No… I am his brother, Leo. And as of now he cannot do much. Even if he is the King none of you humans know of him and-”

“ _Excuse me?_ You aren’t serious are you? The royal family has been dead for a century!” Niles raised a brow. This was crazy. Leo was both a crazy handsome man and crazy mentally too, apparently. “Ol’ King Garon had many lovers but no children! All the stories say so.”

“Ha! No children? That sounds silly. Tell that to my siblings. We.. haven’t exactly been alive for a century, but we aren’t dead that’s certain.” Leo tittered. 

But Niles wasn’t amused. He didn’t understand what this man wanted from him. One moment he threatened to kill him, the next he claimed to be a prince. This sounded like a twisted joke. It wouldn’t have been the first time it happened to Niles. In Nohr twisted didn’t even cover most of the things that happened.

“So tell me... the whole lot of you are zombies? Ones that the people have never heard of?” Niles joked.

“Vampires actually,” the prince corrected with an exasperated sigh. “I will admit, brains are one of the most fascinating things to study. And that is all I do: study them. _Not_ eat them.”

“Is that a sense of humor I detect?” 

“Preposterous.” 

 

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niles manages to weasel his way out of Leo's study one night to explore more of the castle despite the warnings. Every action has its consequences, especially ones that are prohibited.

Niles was still alive. That was a miracle after hearing Leo’s stories about the other men that had broke into the castle. A week is about how long he had been in the castle with Leo. There was something different about Niles that intrigued Leo. And so he was left alive. Though Leo did say he wasn’t allowed to leave unless he wanted to be killed. Letting someone who knew about this family of vampires was dangerous. Life here could be more interesting, Niles decided. So he remained. There wasn’t much he was allowed to do at first but with Leo there to talk with, he wasn’t bored most of the time. As for moving around, Niles could go back and forth between three separate rooms and that was about it. Leo didn’t bother to explain why those were the rules. When questioned he avoided an explanation and would claim to be busy with something more important. The beds there were comfier than any he had slept in his whole life. So he wouldn’t complain about anything while he stayed there. Life was a luxury now.

Just before the sun set every day Niles would make it a habit to spend some time with Leo. Even if he was studying, he’d chat with him about just about anything. The topics ranged from something boring to something complex. Most times Niles found himself talking about how pathetic his own life was. Leo was interested in the daily life of one of the citizens in his country after all. For once someone didn’t look at Niles with either pity or disgust. There was an emotion Niles couldn’t easily read in his eyes. But it wasn’t one that made him angry. 

It only occurred to him one night that Leo hadn’t spoken about his family much. He knew very little to nothing about them. There was an older brother who was the king of Nohr. A vampire king. Niles was reminded by Leo every now and then how thankful he should be for running into him instead of this King.

“Do remind me how many siblings you have. I haven’t seen any of them,” began Niles one evening. 

“Three,” Leo replied briefly. 

His face was buried in a book as per usual. Another one of his journals that he wrote in about his magical experiments. Sometimes when he began to read the hardcover books, Niles would peek over his shoulder to fluster him. It made him wonder what he was reading about. That’s how Leo discovered Niles couldn’t read to save his life.

“Will I ever be able to meet your siblings?” Niles mused with a strum of his fingers on the desk. “You rarely speak of them.”

Leo let out a sigh and shut his book abruptly. His full attention was on Niles now. Though he wasn’t pleased with the interruption. Those sharp looks he gave Niles weren’t intimidating in the very least. They actually suited him rather well.

For a moment Leo pondered how he should respond. “It... would benefit you to wait longer before I introduce you to them.” 

“Will they want to kill me?” Niles chuckled. “If I survived you, I’m sure I will will with them as well.”

“May we save this for another time? I’d like to get back to my studying.”

As much as Niles enjoyed bothering most people, he didn’t wish to agitate the prince any further. “Alright, alright.”

Niles went over to one of Leo’s bookshelves. There were some books that had been marked for him. In said books there were typically charts, drawings, or other visuals to aid him. The best ones were those about the stars. Until he came across this castle Niles could only rely on the stories he was told about the stars and what he could see above. In the star charts there were lines connecting the stars to make pictures. Instead of grabbing the usual book about the stars, he took up one with a floral print on the cover. Inside were dried flowers that were taped against the paper. This must have been one of Leo’s journals.

“I should have known a pretty boy like you enjoyed flowers,” Niles said on his way over to Leo’s desk. “There are so many in here.”

That earned a scoff. Niles placed the book down beside Leo’s and pointed to one of the withered flowers. Then he moved his finger over the words next to it with a raised brow. Leo inspected the flower for a few moments, as if he was recalling something.

“What about it?”

“I haven’t seen this one before. Where is it from?” muttered Niles.

“Hoshido. You surely have heard of that country, yes?” Leo flipped the page. He gestured to the whole bunch of flowers taped all over the page. They had to be as old as ever since they were so dry and drained of color. Despite that, they were still in good condition. “Here’s more from there. I must admit I miss my visits to such a beautiful country.”

Niles watched Leo’s face scrunch up while he spoke. The country must have been important to him somehow. He glanced back at the pages. The flowers were unfamiliar to him, but looked just as lovely as any of those in Nohr.

His fingers moved over the tape, brushing against Leo’s fingers eventually, which were resting on a big flower. “When did you last visit?” 

“Oh… a century ago give or take.” Leo’s hand was off the page in a moments notice and his voice was strained. “There were, and are no reasons for me to go back.”

“No reasons? You like it, that’s good enough reason,” hummed Niles.

A silence hung in the air. Niles lifted the book up into his hands, deciding to read while he was leaned up against the edge of the desk. That way he could look at Leo occasionally. There was a sadness in his eyes. One that was all too familiar to someone like Niles. Something happened in Hoshido. As much as he craved to learn about Leo’s juicy experiences in Hoshido, he’d save that for another time.

Only two weeks passed until Niles’ patience wore thin. Life wasn’t as bad as it could be, but he was growing tired of being forced to stay in select rooms. There were plenty of opportunities for the outlaw to go out and explore, so he took the chance while Leo was at lunch one day. 

The halls weren’t so dark like the were the night he arrived. They had an antique beauty to them as the sun rays rained down through the windows. The light was muddled by the smudges from the worn window glass. Everything around him almost looked as ethereal as it felt. Much lovelier than being cooped up in the small study of Leo’s. Not that he hated being in there with him, it was just… boring. There wasn’t much for Niles to do when Leo was so immersed in his studies. The only other rooms he could visit were the restroom and a small room with some chairs and tables scattered all over the room. 

Niles stopped to admire one of the paintings in the hall. Much like everything else, it was old and dusty, but it was in the best condition of the other decorations he’d come across. The painting towered over Niles as he stood there inspecting the details of the oil used on the flowers and curtains surrounding the small family. There weren’t four children, however. There was a tall man with golden hair with his hand resting on a woman’s shoulder. Her skin was fair, features were sharp, and her hair was just as blonde as her husbands. The little boy in her lap was adorable with wide brown eyes which sparkled. The painter must have wanted to capture his sweet innocence. Niles wondered if the family actually maintained their curls so nicely or if the painting simply made them look more perfect than they truly were. 

The royal family, no doubt. Every castle had portraits put up of those who ruled. Much like households with their paintings pinned up by the front doors. Niles could recall the jealousy that ate away at him when he was a child every time he peered in through people’s windows. Why couldn’t he have a family like that? As a child he blamed himself, but now he knew it was his whore of a mother’s fault they couldn’t have a nice home and family. 

He took a closer look at the woman in the painting. She looked like a strong mother. He wondered if that was Leo’s mother. That or his grandmother. With his pale skin and light hair he resembled her and her husband. If this was indeed his mother then the man standing so proudly at her side had to be King Garon. Oh how the mighty fall. He used to be a wonderful king until he became corrupt and left his country to rot long before his death. The thought of this being Garon sickened Niles. If it weren’t for him, the country could be in a better place. The majority of the people could be eating meals rather than stealing so they didn’t starve.

A crashing sound alerted Niles. When he turned there was another, shorter man, with a shattered bowl at his feet- or cup, he couldn’t tell. He stood defensively. Another vampire more than likely. Though he didn’t look like he was half as scary as Leo. A petite thing with silvery hair and brown eyes that stood out against his pale complexion. The clothes he wore looked nice, but more like those of a soldier than a prince which made Niles think twice about the whole vampire thing. 

“Are you crazy? You have to get out of here,” the man hissed.

Niles wasn’t so quick to relax, but he wasn’t worried about being attacked. Unless this guy had some hidden weapon in his pockets. He doubted it. Though, a little roughhousing with such a pretty thing wouldn’t bother him. Unless he was stronger than he looked.

“Are all of you vampires doll-like? I see a trend… Why should I get out of here?”

“Why you- I am _not_ a vampire. That much should be obvious.” He still spoke in a hushed tone despite the glare he shot in Niles’ direction. “Lord Xander is still out. Lunch hasn’t begun and if he catches you then you will-”

“I appreciate the concern, but I’m not afraid of this Lord Xander. I’ve dealt with Leo so I think I’ll do fine on my own.” Niles rolled his eye. “Hopefully I’ll be seeing you around~”

There was no reply. Niles lifted his head to look at the little fellow and saw a look of horror on his face. He remained still as he felt a familiar chill run down his spine. It felt like it took him hours to muster up the strength to dare turn around. For he had a gut feeling that he was not in the best position anymore. When he did turn around he had to look up. This was not Leo standing behind him, looking down at him from such a tall height.

So far the only thing in the castle that had stood so high above him was the painting. Yet here was quite the tall, statue of a man standing over him with an intense gaze. With his curls hanging down over his face. He looked like a much more young and handsome version of that king in the painting. If the vampires didn’t kill with their teeth then it must have been through their fine looks. Those sharp eyes reminded Niles of daggers. Not to mention they were a deep brown that had just the slightest hint of red in them. When he spoke his deep voice rumbled, close to a growl.

“Laslow, who is this?”


End file.
